“And I am so glad that she has you wrapped around her finger,” Elle added with great feeling.
Lucien started edging back down the hallway, moving towards the salon in which Ariane currently slept. “Yes, I’m sure you look forward to future displays. But did either of you have anything else to say?”
“No,” Severin said. “Except I hope you do not plan to skip out on the rest of the Summit meetings.”
Lucien snorted. “Who cares if I am present or not? You are the one we depend upon.”
Severin again pinched the bridge of his nose. “You are the future king, Lucien.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you for your great sacrifice—I look forward to your reports.” Lucien winked at the pair before he hurried back to the salon, his thoughts otherwise occupied.
Perhaps I should call for Severin’s barber-surgeon to get a second opinion on her health…
Chapter 10
A Task for Love
Ariane groaned as she slowly came to. Her sight was bleary, and her tongue was dry and thick.
“Ariane? Ariane, can you hear me?”
The blobby shape that hung over Ariane eventually sharpened until she could make out facial features. “…Lucien?” she asked groggily.
“If you will allow me, Your Highness, I should check her over.”
“Yes, yes, of course!”
Lucien darted out of view and was replaced with a jolly man who smiled kindly at Ariane. It took her a few moments before she recognized him as Duval, Prince Severin’s barber-surgeon who had checked her over the last time the mages attacked.
“Can you feel this?” Duval asked as he pricked various parts of Ariane’s body.
“Yes.”
“How do you feel? Can you move your limbs?”
Ariane lifted her arms, noting the bandages that had been wrapped around her spider bites, then wiggled her feet. “Yes, everything feels in order.”
Duval poked and prodded her for a few minutes more, then nodded in satisfaction. “You are in fine health. All the same, you should not do anything strenuous for the rest of the day, and keep to bland foods the next few days. Also, you should be careful to keep your arms clean as long as the bites remain, but you shouldn’t experience any lasting effects.”
“Thank you for your aid,” Ariane said.
Duval smiled. “It was a mage with healing magic who purged your body of the spider venom. I only watched over your recovery.”
“Still, thank you.”
“Of course. Please call for me if you experience any unusual symptoms or pain.” He began picking up the tools of his trade and carefully arranging them in a leather bag.
Ariane’s eyes drifted over to Lucien, who was leaning against a wall and smiling. I had hoped he left while Duval checked me over. He’s going to be insufferably smug about having his curse broken by me, I can just tell.
“Come, let’s get some fresh air out in the gardens. I can call for tea out there,” Lucien said.
Duval lowered his eyebrows. “Bland foods,” he reminded the prince.
Lucien nodded. “Yes, I will make note of that. Thank you, Duval.”
“It was my pleasure. Good day, Your Highness, Mademoiselle.” The barber-surgeon bowed to both Ariane and Lucien, picked up his bag, and made his exit.
Ariane paused and waited for Lucien to say something smug.
“So…the gardens?” he asked, sounding surprisingly shy.
Arianne stood, blinking when the room veered for a brief moment.
Lucien was at her side faster than she thought possible. He reached for her elbow but paused instead of touching her. “Are you all right? Do we need to call Duval back?”
“I’m fine, and the gardens sound lovely,” Ariane said.
Lucien offered her his arm and a smile that made his blue eyes glow.
Ariane hesitated one moment before she tucked her arm into his and let him lead the way out of the room. What am I doing? He’s a prince. I can’t just trail behind him and become his designated social companion. I’m a maid!
She started to wonder if she should find Elle and ask her what her new duties would be for the remainder of the Summit, but she was rather distracted by walking next to Lucien—human Lucien, that was.
As a frog, she toted him everywhere. There hadn’t really been any line of conduct then. But now…and even though she had seen Lucien—as his princely self—many times before, it was different to walk side-by-side with him. He was taller than she thought, and he felt very steady. He also smelled…pleasant. Like a newly cleaned room—though there was a faint undertone of cedar.
Lucien guided Ariane from the hall onto one of the many balconies with steps that led down to the massive gardens. These happened to be, unfortunately, the same stairs where Ariane had hidden and spoken with Princess Elle after she first realized she loved Lucien.
“I’m so glad you are safe,” Lucien said as he led her deeper into the gardens. “My heart nearly stopped when you fainted from the spider venom.”
“What happened to the mages?” Ariane asked.
“They’ve been secured. It’s why we don’t have an entourage following us—though Severin still has double the amount of patrols and guards on duty as usual,” Lucien said.
“Did you find out who sent them?”
Lucien grimly shook his head. “No. They’ve been struck mute—by their own spell or some sort of curse; we cannot tell which. We do know, however, that both mages are drop-outs from the Veneno Conclave Academy. One of the mages who was here for the Summit recognized them. They never finished their schooling and dropped out of the Academy approximately a year ago.”
“They were students?” Ariane could hardly believe her ears. Veneno Conclave-trained mages went through vigorous schooling and ethics training. They were given more instruction only upon proving they were trustworthy and would uphold the Conclave’s strict moral code. Things must be worse than I thought. There have been mages who have been exiled from the Conclave, and sorcerers and the like who use dark sources of power and teach themselves…but Conclave students acting as assassins?
“It is worrisome. Severin fears the Conclave may be losing its grip on magic users. Carabosso—the mage who has been tormenting Sole—was exiled from the Conclave and supposedly had his magic cut off. Obviously—as exemplified by the curse placed on Princess Rosalinda—it didn’t work,” Lucien said.
“The Conclave is faltering.” The words tasted like ash in Ariane’s mouth. “Could that be why they aren’t sending out more help? They’re focused on this unexpected occurrence?”
“Possibly.” Lucien shrugged. “If they are, none of the mages who attended the Summit were told. I doubt the issue is very wide-spread—the pair of mages that attacked us are the first we know of. All it means is that it would be wise if we did not plan to depend upon the Conclave.”
Ariane stared up at the beautiful sunny sky, willing the fluffy white clouds and deep blue of the sky to cheer her up. I don’t know how those in positions of power bear it—learning all this bad news all the time…
Lucien cleared his throat. “I wanted to discuss us.”